Vincent van Gogh believed that drawing was the “root of everything.” This was reflected in the remarkable output of more than one thousand graphic works produced by the artist during his short and dramatic life—many of them personal, often lonely explorations of the emerging modern world. The Drawings of Vincent van Gogh is a comprehensive account celebrating the singularity of the artist’s achievements in this field.
Arranging by theme, from drawings of humble harvesters to beautifully rendered depictions of landscapes, pensive life studies to memorable sketches of the famous Yellow House, eminent art historian Christopher Lloyd encourages readers to consider the artist’s drawings from a fresh viewpoint: documenting successes and failures, experiments, trials, and disappointments. Primarily self-taught, Van Gogh’s approach to drawing was instinctual, but he soon recognized the importance of mastering the grammar of art, as well as materials and techniques, in order to expresshis emotional responses to a subject as vividly as possible. With examples from the artist’s voluminous and highly charged family correspondence, sketchbooks, and comparative artworks, this engaging study outlines why drawing is central to Van Gogh’s oeuvre, and equal to the intensity and reputation of his paintings.
Featuring works from the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, and many other important collections in Europe and the United States, this beautifully illustrated volume offers an extensive interpretation of the artist’s drawings, beyond what has been published to date.
Reviews
A distinguished art historian gathers work from van Gogh's sketchbooks, letters and comparative artworks in this survey of drawings by an artist who viewed the medium as 'the root of everything.'
— The New York Times Book Review
A wrestling with the line was a central feature of the artist's career, and Christopher Lloyd's The Drawings of Vincent van Gogh traces this struggle and triumph. Lloyd's work makes clear that Van Gogh's liberated line is just as essential as his exhilarating color, and the selection of works reproduced provides exciting insight into the artist's development.
— The New Criterion
Contributors
Christopher Lloyd
Author
Christopher Lloyd is an art historian and curator. He was Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures in the British Royal Collection from 1988 to 2005 and is the author of Edgar Degas: Drawings and Pastels, Paul Cézanne: Drawings and Watercolors, and Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Drawings. His other publications include art monographs, official catalogs of museum collections, and general surveys of the British Royal Collection.
